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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27082543">simple</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/soggywormcircus/pseuds/soggywormcircus'>soggywormcircus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wolf 359 (Radio)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Compliant, F/F, Pining, lovelace is super gay and so am i, takes place some time after pan-pan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 02:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27082543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/soggywormcircus/pseuds/soggywormcircus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since Lovelace has gotten to the Hephaestus (back, she keeps correcting herself, ever since she's come back), she's been looking at Renée Minkowski.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Isabel Lovelace/Renée Minkowski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>simple</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>thinking about them again y'all...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since Lovelace has gotten to the Hephaestus (<em> back, </em>she keeps correcting herself, ever since she's come back), she's been looking at Renée Minkowski. </p>
<p>It started out very simple. An empty gun raised right in the open airlock, to another gun that's definitely not empty at all. </p>
<p>'What happened when the blue ship and the red ship collided?' </p>
<p>Minkowski doesn't avert her eyes. </p>
<p>She looks very, very tired. Her hair is put up in a tight bun and her brows are furrowed. Lovelace thinks she's not going to answer, not know it, and Lovelace is going to-</p>
<p>'Both crews were marooned.' </p>
<p>Lovelace blinks. That's when she looks at Minkowski properly. And maybe that's already one look too much. She can't tell at that point. </p>
<p>Lovelace puts her gun down and begins (no, that's naive, she doesn't begin, she's begun long ago, no- she <em> continues </em>) coming undone. </p>
<p>Once all that's over with, and the station has taken over the coming undone duties, she gives Minkowski another look. A longer one, this time. </p>
<p>Her hair isn't put up anymore. It's also gotten a lot longer the past few months. </p>
<p>'Doug Eiffel is <em> gone </em>,' she forces out, and there's tears glistening in her eyes and her hair is floating around her head in the weightlessness and it almost looks like a dark kind of halo, and it's way too beautiful for this place, for the freezing cold. For the station that's falling apart around her, for the other dead communications officer, for the sickly pale man connecting it all. </p>
<p>And for Isabel Lovelace. But she doesn't think about that right now. </p>
<p>'It just happened,' Minkowski finishes. She's managed to swallow the tears but that doesn't change anything about the fact that Eiffel is gone and still, there seems to be something new wired to the captain's heartbeat.</p>
<p>It's not right. That's all Lovelace knows. It's not right. </p>
<p>'Can I ask you a favour?', Minkowski asks later, when the station is back to its usual temperature. Lovelace looks up from the panel she's working on and blinks. </p>
<p>'Sure thing, Minkowski,' she answers. 'What can I do for you?' </p>
<p>She knows she can't… can't make this up to her, not really, because she's been working with Se- with <em>Hilbert</em> for the past three months and it hasn't changed anything, but she says yes anyway. She tells herself that the reason it feels so impossible to say no to Renée Minkowski is because of the...guilt, and nothing else. Nothing else at all. </p>
<p>Minkowski hands her a pair of scissors. </p>
<p>'Uhm.' Lovelace looks down at them, then looks at Minkowski. </p>
<p>The commander rolls her shoulders. 'I was looking for something that would work better, but it doesn't look like we brought a lot onto the mission with us, so this will have to do.' </p>
<p>'Right,' Lovelace says slowly. 'I'm just gonna move this to the arts and crafts room back in the-' </p>
<p>Minkowski just gives her a look, and it's so tired that the joke dies right on her lips. </p>
<p>'Sorry,' Lovelace mutters. 'What do you want me to do with this?' </p>
<p>Instead of answering, Minkowski just runs a hand through her hair. </p>
<p>'Oh.' </p>
<p>'It's gotten long,' Minkowski says simply. 'Would you cut it?' </p>
<p>Lovelace forces herself to smile, and it's almost convincing. 'Sure,' she says. 'Now?' </p>
<p>Minkowski nods, and that's that. </p>
<p>It only occurs to Lovelace that this might be a bad idea when it's already too late. When Minkowski's sat down in front of her and Lovelace finds her fingers in the commander's hair. </p>
<p>It's the first time she's actually touching Minkowski since she's come back to the station. She's… thought about what it might be like, once or twice. Or maybe a few more times. She'd imagine it, but she'd never actually reach out. </p>
<p>Because she had a bomb wired to her heart, and it was already beating fast enough anytime she was simply looking at Minkowski. </p>
<p>Now it's long detonated, of course, doing all the damage Lovelace had hoped it would when she'd first set it. It's detonated, and Lovelace's stupid heart can beat as fast as it wants. So it does. </p>
<p>‘Is there any length you’d like me to-’</p>
<p>‘I don’t care,’ Minkowski interrupts her. She clears her throat, looks down. ‘Sorry,’ she adds. ‘Just get it off, it doesn’t matter.’</p>
<p>‘Alright,’ Lovelace says. She puts her hands on Minkowski’s head and adjusts it, ignoring the way the commander’s breath catches at the touch. ‘Keep your head straight.’ </p>
<p>‘Right. Sorry.’ </p>
<p>‘Don’t apologise.’ </p>
<p>Lovelace wants to add more. Something like, <em> There’s nothing to apologise for. </em> Or maybe, <em> You're already the bravest and best person I have ever met.  </em></p>
<p>Maybe even something like, <em> I should be the one that’s apologising.  </em></p>
<p>
  <em> I’m the one that killed your communications officer. And now I can’t even look you in the eyes anymore.  </em>
</p>
<p>She says none of these things. Minkowski is also silent. So Lovelace takes a breath, and picks up the scissors. </p>
<p>It’s not the first time Lovelace is doing this. She’s cut the hair of friends back on Earth, girlfriends from time to time, and sometimes also her own. </p>
<p>Still, it turns out that cutting hair becomes a whole lot more complicated without gravity around. Lovelace manages somehow, even though every time her fingers touch the top of Minkowski’s head or her neck, or brush against her ears, there’s the smallest electric current running up her hand, all the way into her chest. She isn’t sure if Minkowski feels it, too; the commander is just staring ahead, keeping her head straight. Her eyes are closed. </p>
<p>Lovelace wonders where this trust is coming from. Is it because the bomb has long detonated, and there’s not much else left to go wrong with Lovelace?</p>
<p>Is it because with Eiffel gone and Hera not having hands, there’s not really another option for her?</p>
<p>Is it-</p>
<p>Is it something else?</p>
<p>Lovelace clears her throat. 'Well, that should be it,' she announces. Minkowski turns around to face her. </p>
<p>They're very close. They shouldn't be, for all kinds of different reasons, but they are. Lovelace can feel Minkowski's breathing on her face. </p>
<p>It would be so easy, right now, to lean forward. To take the commander's hand and pull her closer. To cup her face in her hands. </p>
<p>To press her lips to hers. </p>
<p>She could kiss her, and it would be so easy. Well, of course it wouldn't be, because she is Isabel Lovelace and this is Renée Minkowski, and they're here together and the world is falling apart around them. </p>
<p>It wouldn't be easy. As soon as Lovelace were to let go everything would come crashing down on them, and it wouldn't be easy. </p>
<p>Of course it wouldn't be, but for the smallest moment, right the second their lips touch, it could be simple. </p>
<p>It would be terrible and selfish and Lovelace would regret it very soon, but still. It could be simple. </p>
<p>Lovelace would give anything, anything she has, for something like this to be simple. </p>
<p>'Thanks, Captain,' Minkowski says quietly. She looks different now that her hair is short, almost younger. It makes everything worse. </p>
<p>'You're welcome, Commander,' Loveace answers. And then, in a moment of awful judgement, she takes Minkowski's hand. </p>
<p>Minkowski stops breathing. She looks down at their hands. Lovelace follows her eyes. </p>
<p>For the first time, she's almost glad the shuttle is gone and the bomb is detonated. Because right now, her head is beating so fast it might really be jumping out of her chest. </p>
<p>She really, really wants to kiss Minkowski. </p>
<p>She could do it, she could try, and it could be simple, and they could-</p>
<p>Lovelace pulls her hand away.</p>
<p>'Try to get some sleep,' she says, her voice raspy. 'I'll watch the station, don't worry.' </p>
<p>Minkowski almost smiles at that. 'Thanks.'</p>
<p>She has another look at Lovelace, a piercing and terrible look that's almost <em> kind </em>, and then turns around. </p>
<p>She runs a hand through her hair, and then she's gone. </p>
<p>Lovelace stays where she is and doesn't make a sound. </p>
<p>She doesn't call after Minkowski. She doesn't say, <em> I'm sorry I killed your communications officer.  </em></p>
<p>She doesn't say, <em> I'm sorry the station is falling apart and there's nothing we can do.  </em></p>
<p>However, she also doesn't say, <em> I really want to kiss you.  </em></p>
<p>So she supposes that's a success. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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